Daniel f



(No Model.) V

D. F. SULLIVAN.

STOP MOTION FOR KNITTING MACHINES.

Patented May 5 1896.

AIIDREW BVGRANAM, PNOTO-LITNOWASNIH GYON D C UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DANIEL F. SULLIVAN, OF LOI/VELL, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO ALBERT WHITE, OF SAME PLACE. I

STOP-MOTION FOR KNITTING-MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 559,505, dated May 5, 1896.

Application filed anua y 6, 1894. Renewed March 28, 1896. Serial No. 585,291. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DANIEL F. SULLIVAN, of Lowell, in the county of MiddleseX, State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Stop-Motions for Oircular-Knittin g Machines, of which the following is a description sufficiently full, clear, and exact to enable any person skilled in the art or' science to which said invention appertains to make anduse the same, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings,

forming part of this specification, in which-- Figure 1 is a top plan view of a portion of a circular-knittin g machine, showing my im proved stop-motion applied to the presserwheel support, said wheel and the cylinder being represented as broken off; Fig. 2, a vertical transverse section taken on line 00 no in Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a side elevation of the stop mechanism, the parts being represented in the position assumed after the breaking of a thread; Fig. 4, a top plan view of the stop mechanism in the position shown in Fig. 3, the presser-wheel being removed; and Fig. 5, an end elevation of the presser-Wheel spindle, illustrating alarm mechanism.

Like letters and numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in the different figures of the drawings.

My invention relates especially to a stopmotion for automatically disengaging the presser-wheel from the needles on the breaking of the thread, said motion being actuated positively by the presser-wheel; and it consists in certain novel features hereinafter fully set forth and claimed, the object being to produce a simple, cheap, and effective device of this character.

The nature and operation of the improvement will be readily understood by all conversant with such matters from the following explanation:

In the drawings, A represents the needlecylinder, and B the presser-wheel, which is mounted in the usual manner upon a spindle b, pivoted to rock laterally toward the needlecylinder, in the supporting-block f, which is adjustable longitudinally by the star wheel g in the usual way. The base of the spindle b at h is squared.

The stitch-wheel support K is in the usual set.

position and the thread-guide O is adj ustably secured thereon, said guide being represented .in Fig. 1 as broken off.

On the block f a bell-crank lever 70 is pivoted to swing horizontally. Said lever in one arm is provided with a shoulder on, (see Fig. 4,)

against which the base It of the spindle Z) enend secured to a projection on the block. A

guide-arm 1" projects from said lever, and the long arm of the bell-crank k is disposed between said guide and forked lever. A dog 'or trip I. is pivoted between the arms of the forked lever to swing laterally thereof. To the upper end of said dog alight wire 4) is secured, said wire being of sufficient length to project under the stitch-wheel support and rest upon the thread D (see Fig. 1) as it passes down through the thread-guide O. The weight of said wire is just suflicient so that when the thread breaks the wire will drop and elevate the dog 15. Two wires 0 are secured, respectively, to the arms of the forked lever 13 and extend under the thread D, the purpose of these wires being to support the thread and prevent the operation of the stop mechanism when the machine is intentionally stopped and the thread is intact. The presser-wheel B is provided with a series of pendent projections w on its under face. The dog or trip tis so arranged that when elevated by the dropping of the wire 1; on the breaking of the thread its inner end will be thrown into the path of said projections. On the lower end of the base 72. of the presser-wheel spindle there is a pendent fiat spring 3 which normally is held out of the path of the bolts 2 of the needle-cylinder.

In the use of my improvement when the ma-.

chine is in operation and the spindlebis vertical its base it is engaged in the shoulder m of the bell-crank k. The spring of the needles 15 against the wheel B, said wheel having been adjusted by the star-wheel in the usual manner, holds said base against said shoulder. The thread D is passed under the drop-wire o and supports it, throwing the dog 25 out of the path of the projections 10 of the presser-wheel. The pull-spring q draws the guide 4 against the long arm of the bell-crank. When the thread D breaks, the wire 1; falls, elevating the dog or trip i into the path of one of the projections to on the presser-wheel B. Said dog being engaged by said projection the forked lever 13 is thrown forward thereby as the presser-wheel rotates, driving the long arm of the bell-crank lever with it and disengaging the shoulder m of said lever from the presser-wheel spindle. The spring of the needles at once serves to drive said Wheel outward,its spindle tilting and the parts assuming the position shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The pull of the spring q holds the short arm of the bell-crank against the base of the spindle, preventing the jar of the machinery from throwing said spindle forward and engaging the presser-wheel with the needles again. As the presser-wheel is tilted outward the spring y thereon is thrown into the path of the bolts .2 on the needle-cylinder, creating a clicking noise, which will immediately call the attention of the operator to the fact that the thread is broken. Any number of projections may be employed on the presser-wheel, as many being used as are deemed necessary to quicken the action of the stop-motion.

It will be seen that my improved stop-motion is exceedingly rapid in its operation, the presser-wheel being disengaged almost immediately with the breaking of the thread.

hen the machine is rethreaded and the wire '11 elevated, the spring q will throw the parts back into position to set the stopunotion again.

Having thus explained my invention, what I claim is- 1. The combination with the presser-wheel and its pivoted support of mechanism locking said support against the pressure of the needles and comprising a trip adapted to be thrown into the path of a projection on said Wheel when the thread breaks, and release such support.

2. In a stop-motion for knitting-machines a pressenwheel mounted on a pivoted spindle and provided with a projection, in oombination with a bell-crank lever having an arm engaging the spindle support and locking said support against the pressure of the needles; a spring-pulled lever engaging the opposite arm of said bell-crank lever, and a dog having an arm supported by a thread, its 0pposite arm being disposed in position to be thrown into the path of said wheel projection when the thread breaks, substantially as and for the purpose set forth 3. In a stop-motion for knitting-machines, the combination with the needleeylinder of the pivoted presser-wheel support and a pro jection thereon arranged to be thrown into the path of projections on said cylinder when the support is thrown outward, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. In a stop-motion for knitting-machines the combination with a presser-wheel mounted on a pivoted spindle and provided with a projection, of a lever having an arm engaging the spindle-support; two rigid arms supportin g the machine-thread, a pivoted dog having an arm resting on the thread between said first arms the companion arm of said dog being adapted to be thrown into the path of said projection on the presser-wheel when a thread breaks and a laterally swinging spring-pulled support for said pivoted lever.

5. In a stop-motion for knitting-machines, the combination with the pivoted presserwheel support, of the lever, k, lockin g said support against outward movement and mechanism actuated by the presser-wheel for releasing said support from said lever.

6. The combination with the presser-wheel and its pivoted support of the locking-lever, 7c; the spring-tensioned lever,-p, engagingthe lockinglever; the dog pivoted thereto and having an arm engaging the machine-thread, and a projection on said wheel adapted to e11- gage the companion arm of the dog when the thread breaks.

DANIEL I SULLIVAN.

lVitnesses K. DURFEE, O. M. SHAW. 

